Eyes Open
by Quidditch Player-Seeker
Summary: AU: Peeta won the 74th Hunger Games. Prim was never reaped, so Katniss never volunteered. What happens when Katniss is selected for the Quarter Quell the next year and Peeta is one of her mentors? Plus, new technology in the Capital is making these Games the most terrifying Games in history. May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor . . . .


My Worst Nightmare Katniss POV Chapter 1 The 75th Hunger Games Today is the Reaping of the 75th Hunger Games. No one is aware of what the card will read that President Snow has in his possession. It will tell us the fate of whatever poor unfortunate soul will bring. All of us kids, ages 12 to 18 are separated each by age and pushed together so tightly that some can barely breathe. My little sister is in the 12 year old section, and I happen to be in the 17 year old section. My best friend, Gale Hawthorne stands in the 18 year old section. We all are waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Watching the screen with so much fear, anxiousness, and anticipation, that we are all about to burst. Old Victors were seated on the side of the stage. My other best friend, or use to be old best friend, Peeta Mellark, was seated next to Haymitch, the 50th Hunger Games winner. Peeta was Reaped last year, and won the Games without killing a single person. It was amazing. I knew he would be able to stay himself, and thats what he did. He stuck to his morals and I am still proud of him. Even to this day. When he got home, however, we were all at the train station watching for him. But when he arrived, he was but he wasnt the same Peeta. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he was extremely thin. But he still looked like Peeta. He just didn't act like him. I was standing right in the front of everyone, waiting for him to come over to me. But he completely ignored me and walked away to his family. I haven't tried to interact with him since or vise versa. I was devastated, I had thought I was going to lose him in the Games, and then he just comes home and does not even acknowledge me. Soon, the big screen in front of us becomes the black and white snowy looking screen, which means the Capital is trying to become in contact with all Districts. I soon see a face no one could ever not know. President Snow sat in his big, puffy chair. The Capital emblem in the background on the wall behind him. You can tell he is on the balcony that he makes announcements on every year for the Hunger Games. He stands up and waves to the crowd outside in the Capital and you can hear the people go crazy for him. HIM. Of all people. It makes me sick inside. He soon puts his hands in a gesture to silence. Once everyone has, he motions for someone to come forward beside him. A little girl, Im assuming is his granddaughter, is carrying a big, puffy, fancy pillow with a box on top of it. President Snow opens the box and searches for the card that reads what the rules are going to be for the third Quarter Quell in History. "Greetings Panem. And welcome to the Reaping of the 75th Hunger Games!" everyone in the capital goes wild. While everyone hear in District 12, make no sound. "What I have here is a envelope. An envelope that will tell you your fate, and explain everything for this year Hunger Games." He slowly opens the envelope and District 12 is holding our breathes in fear. He pulls it out and reads it over himself first which makes waiting even longer. "For this years 75th Hunger Games, the Third Quarter Quell, the rules state that in every District. One boy and one girl will be selected from each District, to represent that the Capital still has control. No matter who you are, we will always be in control. But also, as a twist this year, once you get on the train, the tributes will be instructed to put a device on in order to make a completely new Hunger Games this year. It will be explained right before you are raised into the arena! Good Luck Panem, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" President Snow says before the Capital seal closes his speech. 'Well, lets begin!" effete Trinket, our supervisor if you will, yelled from the stage into the microphone. "Let us pick the boys first this year! To keep with the change of rules a little." She walks over to the bowl for the boys, which isn't many, and pulls one out. "The boy tribute for District 12 this year is . . . Jack Diamond!" A boy from the 14 year old section, slowly walks up to the stage and stands beside Effie. I look over to Gale and smile at him, and he smiles back. He was safe. No repeats of last year. "Now for the ladies." she does the same thing, and pulls a paper out of the girls pile. This year's girl tribute for District 12 will be . . . Primrose Everdeen!" I am frozen in shock, as is everyone else, as they watch little Prim, my Prim, my little baby sister, start walking to her death. I see Gale watching with horror in his eyes, and I look up at Peeta, and his eyes read the same. He still loves Prim like a little sister inside somewhere, even if he never shows it. Once I process what has happened, I start pushing people and screaming Prim's name. I push past everyone in my way and beat her to the stairs. Gale must have known what I was going to do before I even knew. He grabbed Prim and started pulling her back to the crowd. I look Gale in the eyes and watch him mutter, "Good Luck". I nod and make my way to the top of the stage. I ignore the stares from both Haymitch and Peeta as I walk over to the microphone with Effie. "What is your name darling?" she asks so sweetly. "Katniss Everdeen". "So she was your sister?!" She asks so surprised, it would have been comical if it had been better circumstances. I nod my head yes at her question. "Ladies and Gentleman. A volunteer in District 12 has been unheard of in all of the years of the Hunger Games. This is quite a historic mark in this District. Let me welcome your Tributes for this years Hunger Games. Jack Diamond and Katniss Everdeen!" No one claps or yells or anything. But they do take three fingers to their lips and hold them out to me in a sign that all of Panem knows. We do not agree, we do not approve. We respect you. With that though, the PeaceKeepers grab both of us and yank us into the Justice Building into our separate rooms to say our last goodbyes to our families and friends. Gale, my mother and Prim all come in at one time. They all hug me, we all cry, and we all tell each other we love each other. It was just so hard to have to say goodbye when you know you are being sent to your death. Our little meeting only lasted about 5 minutes before they dragged them all out. I screamed my love and goodbye to them before they slammed the door in my face. Not even two minutes later though, Madge, the mayor's daughter comes in, and hands me a mocking jay pin and asks me if I will wear it in the Games as my token from home. I immediately agree and pin it onto my dress before she kisses my cheek and leaves before I can get any other word in. I figured I would receive no more guests, so it came as a surprise when Mr. Mellark walked in with a basket in his hands. Since I use to be really close to Peeta, I was close to his family too. Mr. Mellark hugged me and gave me the basket, which was actually filled with my favorite cookies he use to make just for me and when I would make a visit over to their bakery. I got teary eyed again and hugged him and thanked him one more time. He wished me good luck and said he had faith that I would return to District 12. I wish I just had the same faith. After that, I received no more visitors, and we were dragged once again by the PeaceKeepers into what are apparently called cars. I have never ridden in one before but I dont think I will ever want to again. We arrived at the train station where cameras were lined the whole way across the train station. Some yelled to us and a lot just took a lot of pictures or filmed us the whole way into the train. We were then escorted to our rooms and locked inside until the train started moving, assuring that we were not going to make a run for it. We were then called to dinner to be introduced to our mentors. I dreaded this part as soon as I knew I was going into the games. I would have to face Peeta before my ultimate demise and I wasn't too thrilled about that. I walked slowly down the corridor to the dining car. There was mountains about mountains of food there. I have never seen such a feast. Everyone minus myself were already seated at the table. I sat down across from Haymitch and beside Jack. we all started eating in a quiet manor. But apparently the silence was too much for Jack because he started asking for tips in the Games. "What's the best advice that you can give us for the Games?" he asked. I looked towards Haymitch, interested in what he will have to say. "My biggest tip, Stay alive." He said, while he started laughing and drinking his alcohol. "Of course" i said in a huff and went back to my food. "What Sweetheart? You don't like my advice, don't take it. As simple as that. Now pass me the jam." he told me. I completely ignored him, and he gave a big huff before he started reaching for it himself. I was getting too annoyed with this man already. I grabbed my steak knife and before he had he hand to the jar of jam, I had the knife dug into the table, right between two of his fingers. He looked surprised at me and then turns to look at Peeta before he looks at me again. "That is mahogany!" Effie screams out at me for putting a hole into her table. "This is the girl I can see from your stories Peeta. She has spunk, and I like that. She's actually a fighter." Haymitch says with a amused smile on his face, completely ignoring Effie. "What are you talking about?" I ask Haymitch while crossing my arms in front of me. "What other skills do you have sweetheart?" Haymitch asks me, completely ignoring my question about the stories. To just show him a little more, I yank the knife out of the table and throw it into the wall behind me, which was a blind aim. It landed right in the crack of the panels in the wall, making me look so much better than I really am. "I can also shoot a bow and arrow." I say turning around and sitting back down in my seat. He examines me for a minute before he leans his body onto the table to get closer to me. "You, sweetheart, have a huge chance at surviving this thing and I like that a lot." "Seriously? How?" I ask him suspiciously. "Yes seriously, and because you have more skill in your pinky then a lot of people in this whole Game have in their body. With your archery ability, that gives you a huge advantage in the arena, as long as they have a bow there for you to use." "Oh!" Effie said, startling all of us. "Jack and Katniss need to go put the caps on that the Capital instructed them to do for the Games. Plus they need their sleep anyway. Put them on your head and sleep with them on. It will be he easiest thing to do. By the time you wake up tomorrow morning we will be almost to the Capital. You will need all of the rest that you can get." Effie says before pushes us the whole way from the dinning car to our rooms. She watches as we put our caps on and get in for bed. The cap is hard and has wires and lights and buttons all over it. I wonder what it does. I didn't have to wonder long though, because of the effects of the day and the stress, i was asleep before I could even wonder if this machine on my head was going to be what kills me. 


End file.
